Bike Fits

Bike Fits & Lactate Threshold Testing

BIKE FITS

We offer bike fits by appointment with Craig Upton onsite at SHIFT. A former water polo player-turned-professional cyclist, New Zealand native Craig Upton has a wealth of exercise physiology knowledge that’s made him a popular cycling coach to Tour de France and Giro d’Italia riders, as well as top Ironman athletes.

Craig measures the athlete’s body, measuring the length of the limbs between all the joints. He not only measures how long your leg/arms are, but also where knees/elbows/ankles bend. He also measures the length of your spine and measures your flexibility.

From this he gets a picture of your skeleton, which is your body's structure. With this information he then calculates where the saddle and handlebars should be in order for your structure/skeleton to sit balanced on the bike all by itself.

The reason for this so your muscles do not have to hold you on the bike, your structure sits there all by itself. This not only leaves your muscles free to pedal, but also provides the most comfortable position possible. When you are positioned like this it takes no energy to sit on the bike and you are in the best position to avoid injury. From this position he then watches your pedal technique and how you sit on the bike, to see how your bike posture is affecting your skeleton. From here he adds some fine-tuning and comes up with the perfect position.

When you are comfortable on the bike, you are also powerful!

Price: Comprehensive Bike Fit $250

LACTATE THRESHOLD TESTING

We offer lactate testing with Craig Upton onsite at SHIFT.

What Is Lactate Threshold?Lactate, your body's buffering agent, neutralizes the acid that builds up in your legs and makes them burn during heavy exertion. The harder you turn the cranks, the faster acid accumulates. Eventually, your muscles generate more acid than you can neutralize and your searing muscles force you to ease up. The point at which you begin to accumulate acid more quickly than you can dissipate it is your lactate threshold (LT) or, in riding terms, the fastest pace you can maintain for 30 minutes without feeling like your legs are on fire.

For this test, you will spend approximately 1 hour in the studio with Craig. You will warm up on the bike for approximately 15-20 minutes and then Craig will take several very small blood samples from your finger as you continue to pedal and increase the intensity of your ride. You will reach a point where it becomes difficult to turn the pedals over, indicating you have reached your personal threshold.

Craig will input your personal results into his program and then walk you through a detailed printout of your test results. He will explain what the data means, how to adjust your training to improve your fitness, and establish new power zones for your rides based on your current fitness level.